The 2021-22 season is over for the Detroit Pistons, who finished with just 23 wins and the third-worst record in the NBA.
Even though they won three more games than last season, it was still another year of tanking, which is growing old for both the players and fans.
Hopefully, last night was the final game of the tank, as the Pistons have Cade Cunningham to build around, as well as copious amounts of cap space and at least another top-7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The future is looking brighter for Detroit, who won 10 games post All-Star break and played their best basketball of the season prior to shutting things down for lottery odds.
It’s always sad when a season ends, as now is the maximum time between the final game and when we get to see them play again. I know the young Pistons are itching to get back on the court and fans are excited to see what this team looks like next season after the Draft and free agency.
But there is still plenty to watch, as this year’s NBA playoffs are as wide-open as they’ve ever been and there are a still a number of storylines that could potentially affect the Detroit Pistons.
Here are three things to watch now that Detroit’s season is officially over.
Teams of interest for the Detroit Pistons
There are still a number of teams that should hold interest for fans of the Detroit Pistons.
Fellow Rookie of the Year frontrunners Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes will be playing in their first playoffs for their respective teams, and you know Cade Cunningham hopes to join them soon.
It will be interesting to see how these two perform in the playoffs, and you know Cade will be watching, seething and working out like Clubber Lang preparing to batter Rocky Balboa. It’s going to be hard for him to watch his fellow rookies play in the playoffs and I hope that lights a fire under Cade this offseason.
Another team that might interest Pistons’ fans is the Los Angeles Clippers, one of the surprise teams of the season who also happen to have three ex-Pistons.
Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard and Marcus Morris were all well-liked as Detroit Pistons and I wish them luck in the playoffs.